Year-by-Year: 2009
July 8, 2009 06:45 PM
Virginia Tech 20
Cincinnati 7
January 1, 2009
Dolphin Stadium
Tech Earns First BCS Win
The opening moments were filled with just about every problem Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer feared his team would have against Cincinnati.
It was merely a blip.
MOP Darren Evans had 28 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown, quarterback Tyrod Taylor rushed for another score and No. 21 Virginia Tech beat No. 12 Cincinnati 20-7 in the Orange Bowl, joining Southern California and Texas as the only schools to win 10 games in each of the past five seasons.
The Hokies forced Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike into a season-high four interceptions. Pike—who wasn't even on Cincinnati's depth chart at the start of the season before blossoming into an all-Big East quarterback—threw for 239 yards and a touchdown, but had his night marred mightily by the picks and getting stopped on a fourth-and-goal in the fourth quarter.
The Hokies held Cincinnati to 137 yards, rendered the Bearcats' running game nonexistent (eight carries, 11 yards) over the remainder of the half, and battled their way to a 10-7 lead by intermission.
The Hokies became the first ACC team to win a BCS game since Florida State which beat Virginia Tech, then a Big East member, for the national championship to close the 1999 season.
VT CIN
First Downs 23 14
Rushing Attempts 55 21
Rushing Yards 258 71
Passes Attempted 23 33
Passes Completed 13 16
Had Intercepted 1 4
Passing Yards 140 239
Total Offense 398 310
Punting/Avg. 5/50.0 5/38.6
Fumbles/Lost 0/0 0/0
Penalties/Yards 3/17 3/10
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Virginia Tech 0 10 3 7 - 20
Cincinnati 7 0 0 0 - 7
SCORING SUMMARY
CIN: Gilyard 15-yard pass from Pike (Rogers kick); VT: T. Taylor 17-yard run (Keys kick); VT: Keys 43-yard FG; VT: Keys 35-yard FG; VT: Evans 6-yard run (Keys kick)
MOP: Darren Evans (Virginia Tech)
Virginia Tech Head Coach: Frank Beamer
Cincinnati Head Coach: Brian Kelly